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Tibetan-Buddhism and Iconography |
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The Three Noble Truths
that Shakyamuni Buddha taught immediately following his
enlightenment constitute the foundations of Tibetan
Buddhism. These noble truths are as follows:
1. Suffering exists.
2. The causes of suffering are greed, hatred and
delusion.
3. There is a cessation of suffering.
4. There is a path of the cessation of suffering.
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The paths leading out of the cycle of suffering
are built upon on these truths. Those who wish to follow the
Tibetan-Buddhist path first take refuge to the "Three Jewels",
to Buddha, to the Dharma (i.e. to Buddha’s teachings), and to
the assembly of the Sangha (here the community of the
enlightened is being referred to as an object of Refuge). One
becomes a Buddhist, literally translated; "Someone who deals
with inward things". In order to find the path the seeker
needs the support of someone who has already found it. He or
she turns to a teacher who is experienced in this way and
requests teachings. There are three so-called "vehicles" that
lead the seeker to the goal of enlightenment: |
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1. The Lesser Vehicle, or
Hinayana
2. The Greater Vehicle, or Mahayana
3. The Diamond Vehicle or Vajrayana
In Tibetan monasteries, and as well as in Ladakh, the primary
traditions that are taught and practiced are Mahayana and
Vajrayana Buddhism. In Hinayana the goal is personal
liberation with the aid of virtuous actions. In Mahayana the
goals is liberation for the benefit of all sentient beings
with the aid of the Six Paramitas. These are:
1. Dana (Generosity)
2. Shila (Ethics)
3. Shanti (Patience)
4. Virya (Joyful Exertion)
5. Dhyanba (Concentration)
6. Prajna Paramita (the Perfection of Wisdom)
In Mahayana (taking Refuge
acquires an added dimension. Here one takes Refuge to the Guru
(i.e. to the teacher), to the Yidam (i.e. a meditation deity
upon which one meditates in order to free the mind from the
ego), and to the dakini (”dakas “and ”dakinis “mean ”wanderers
in the heavens “and are enlightened beings.) The goal of
Vajrayana is the liberation of all sentient beings. This is
accomplished in Vajrayana by means of meditation on deities
that one dissolves back into emptiness at the end of one’s
meditation session. Things appear, but are free of inherent
existence. |
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When one enters the
lakhang (temple) of a Tibetan – Buddhist monastery, one
is greeted with a multitude of images of the most varied
kinds. They are all aids to meditation, since one works
with visualization in both Mahayana and in Vajrayana.
One meditates on the different aspects of the Mind of
Enlightenment. This Ming of Enlightenment id manifested
in the form of Avalokiteshvara of Compassion, for
example. Avalokiteshvara is not represented in
isolation, but within a |
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mandala, i.e. together with his entire retinue.
If one contemplates this mandala a positive impression is
formed in one’s consciousness and the mind, which is disturbed
and wanders distractedly here and there, and which according
to the Buddhist view is deluded, is led bank to its true
nature, i.e. to the Buddha-nature that is symbolically
represented in this mandala. This is fundamentally different
from worship of a multiplicity of divinities (as is often
claimed in the literature even now) but a form of
contemplation, an internalization of perfection, of wholeness
that takes place until one has recognized this perfection as
the true condition of one’s own nature. The concepts of
appearance and emptiness play a decisive role in this process.
Practitioners must not remain attached to appearances, but
rather must recognize the emptiness in the appearances. In
this way they attain the clear view of the way things are in
reality. Emptiness, however, does not entail nihilism, but
simply means that things do not exist in and of themselves.
They arise through conditions. |
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Since all human beings have their very own,
individual dispositions, we all need our very own paths to
knowledge and understanding. Meditation on Avalokiteshvara is
the appropriate path for the one, whereas another needs a
wrathful manifestation such as Vajrapani in order to overcome
his or her ego. Vajrapani, for example, embodies the aspect of
power of the Mind of Enlightenment, Man-jushri on the other
hand embodies the aspect of wisdom. More on this topic is to
be found under the discussions of the individual
representations. These mandalas are based on Mahayana and
Vajrayana meditation texts, the so-called Tantras (in
traslation this means context, or continuity). There are four
Tantra classes:
1. Kriyatantra - Here the emphasis is on external, ritual
forms of contemplation, with the aid of which one can
accumulate merit.
2. Charyatantra - This Tantra makes use of practices that
serve the development of the mind.
3. Yogatantra - This is a purely meditative practice in which
outward appearances have been left behind.
4. Anuttarayogatantra - This is the highest form of Tantra,
intended for disciples with the highest abilities who are able
to concentrate on emptiness. It should be pointed out once
again that emptiness has nothing nihilistic about it. The
point is to see things as they really are, free of concepts
and artifice. |
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On Iconography - The
Historical Buddha Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.)
Siddhartha Gautama (563 – 483 B.C.) was the historical
Buddha. "Buddha" is a Sanskrit word and means "the
awakened one". This is the honorific title for
Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in 563 B.C. in Lumbini
(present-day Nepal), in the noble family of the Shakya
hence his name "Shakyamuni", "the ascetic of the Shakya
clan". As the son of a prince he grew up in luxury, far
from the poor population. One day he observed the
poverty lying beyond his father’s gardens and thereupon
left his home at the age of 29, in order to find his
salvation in asceticism. But it was only after he had
abandoned strict asceticism and had discovered the
Middle Way that he attained enlightenment in meditation
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the Bodhi Tree ("Tree of
Wisdom"). Immediately after attaining enlightenment he did not
wish to speak any more. It was only the god Brahma who could
persuade him to give teachings about his path. He then went to
Banaras (present-day Varanasi) gave his first teaching to five
ascetics. This event is termed as the First Turning of the
Wheel of Dharma. Buddha Shakyamuni taught for a total of 45
years, and died in 483 B.C. near Kushinagara. It was after
about 450 years that the first artistic representations of the
Buddha arose. These were not in any way representations of a
historical figure in the sense of portraits, but stylized
representations of his enlightened state.
As mentioned above, the state of enlightenment is shown in
many forms. Thus, in Tibetan – Buddhist art there are
representations of both peaceful and wrathful forms. Every
gesture, every object that is held, and every color; all have
their precise meanings. It would transcend the scope of this
book to go into detail on this topic. Therefore we shall
present a general overview here or in the context of the
individual illustrations that may awaken the reader’s interest
in examining this topic more closely. The representations of
the Buddha do not begin with Buddha Shakyamuni, but rather
with twenty-four prehistoric Buddhas. Buddha Shakyamuni
mentioned six prehistoric Buddhas by name; later texts mention
an additional eighteen.
The iconography does not end with Shakyamuni Buddha, either,
but rather represents the coming Buddha in advance. Buddha
Maitreya is to come five thousand years after Buddha
Shakyamuni. They all have in common the fact that they were
earthly persons who found their enlightenment meditating under
trees. The future Buddhas will also be earthly persons. In
Vajrayana meditation practice, the Five Transcendental Buddha
are of great significance. They are:
Buddha Akshobya ("The Unshakeable One") - His family is the
Vajra family. His direction is the east, his color is dark
blue and he represents the Mirror-like Wisdom that reflects
everything without being affected by the reflections in any
way. His intermediate paradise is Abhirati("Joy"). In his rifh
hand he holds a vajra, symbol of highest consciousness and of
method, and with the tips of his left-hand fingers he touches
the earth. Buddha Shakyamuni touched the earth in this fashion
to call upon the earth as witness to the truth of his words.
Portrayals of Akshobya can vary from the form mentioned above;
for example, one can also find the vajra depicted on the base
of the throne, or he can be portrayed with his female partner
Locana. Here Akshobya holds the vajra and bell in his crossed
arms. Locana holds a skull cup and vajra.
Buddha Ratnasambhava ("The One Born from a Jewel") - He is
head of the Ratna (Jewel) Family. His direction is the south.
His color is yellow and he embodies the Wisdom of Equality of
Essence. He holds a wish-fulfilling jewel in his left hand,
and his right hand is in the gesture off granting. He will
grant freedom form material need to whoever turns to him for
help. He can also have a begging bowl filled with three jewels
in his left hand. He is also portrayed riding a horse or a
lion. His female partner deity is Mamaki. She holds a skull
cup and chopping knife. His intermediate paradise is called
”The Glorious“, and is characterized by the absence of avarice
and by the presence of all good things in overflowing
abundance.
Buddha Amitabha ("The One of Limitless Light") - He is head of
the Lotus Family. His direction is the west. His color is red
and he embodies wisdom and clarity. He holds his hands in the
gesture of meditation in his lap, the left hand supporting the
right. In most cases he also holds a begging bowl. His
intermediate paradise is Sukhavati (The Blissful). His begging
bowl frequently contains fruits, and peacocks ornament his
throne. His female partner deity is Pandara. She holds a skull
cup and a chopping knife.
Buddha Amoghasiddhi ("One who Unswervingly Attains His Goal")
- He is head of the Karma family. His direction is the north.
He embodies the All-Accomplishing Wisdom and his color is
green. His right hand is raised in the gesture of
fearlessness, and his left hand rests palm-up in his lap. His
female partner is often the Green Tara Vairocana, (He Who
Enlightens or The Sun Like).
These Transcendental Buddhas have no connection whatsoever
with the laws of earthly existence. They do not incarnate and
do not die; they are omnipresent as Buddhas, they are also
termed the Five Tathagatas or the Five Jinas, or the
Dhyani-Buddhas; and each of them is regarded as the head of a
mystical family. These Buddhas were introduced in 750 B.C.
Each of them is guardian of one of the cardinal directions and
is lord of a particular intermediate paradise. One can be
reborn in one of these intermediate paradises and hear the
Buddha’s teachings directly. The preconditions are a karmic
connections and having previously accumulated merit through
the practice of the Six Paaramitas, such as generosity,
ethics, etc. Mental poisons such as greed, hatred and
ignorance are unknown in these Buddha-Lands. Here one can
attain enlightenment very easily. Another class of Buddhas are
the four Adi-Buddhas, Vairocana (one of the Five Tathagatas),
Vajrasattvu (he Whose Nature is the Absolute), Vajradhara
(Holder of the vajra), and Samantabhadra. Vairocana was
regarded as a primordial Buddha around 800 B.C. it is assumed
that this phenomenon arose due to inspiration driving from
Islamic monotheism. The concept of an Adi-Buddhas is to be
found already in earlier texts, but the belief in a primordial
Buddha became widespread only around 800 B.C. Although all of
the Adi-Buddhas represent the Absolute, they have different
characteristics. Thus, Vajrasattva is translated as He Whose
nature is the Absolute. |
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